The Ministry of Health received Official Letter No. 602/UBDNGS15 from the National Assembly's Committee for Petition and Supervision on the proposal to respond to voters' petitions sent before the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly, including a number of petitions from voters in Gia Lai province (including previous petitions from voters in Binh Dinh province).
In which, voters proposed to build a starting salary for doctors higher than the starting salary for university because doctors have 6 years of training, in addition, after graduating, they have to study for an additional 12 months at hospitals to be granted a Practice License; while other universities have shorter training time.
Previously, voters in Phu Tho province also proposed to pay attention to and study policies to attract, treat, and support health workers (salary policy, special allowances, support for medical students, attraction policies, etc.).
Responding to voters' recommendations, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that currently, in addition to the salary regime according to Decree No. 204/2004/ND-CP dated December 14, 2004 of the Government on salary regime for cadres, civil servants, public employees and armed forces and guiding documents, amendments and supplements; cadres and public employees in the health sector are entitled to allowances such as preferential allowances according to their profession, special allowances (24/24 hour standing allowances, anti-epidemic allowances, surgical/technical allowances), toxic and dangerous allowances, allowances for areas with particularly difficult socio-economic conditions and special allowances at some hospitals or for medical staff in villages.
To encourage health workers working in grassroots health care and preventive medicine, Decree No. 05/2023/ND-CP dated October 15, 2023 amends and supplements Decree No. 56/2011/ND-CP stipulating the preferential allowance according to profession of 100% for grassroots health care and preventive medicine staff from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2023.
In addition, some localities have issued Resolutions of the Provincial People's Council regulating a number of spending contents and specific spending levels for health workers in the area such as Nghe An, Phu Tho, Binh Duong, Thua Thien Hue, An Giang, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Ninh Binh to attract health workers to work in grassroots health care and in the field of preventive medicine.
Minister Dao Hong Lan added more about policy reform, the Ministry of Health is proposing to arrange salary levels 2 for the titles of doctors, preventive medicine doctors, and pharmacists when recruiting.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health is developing a Decree to replace Decree No. 56/2011/ND-CP on preferential allowances according to occupations (expected to be completed in December 2025) and a Decree regulating special allowances, anti-epidemic allowances, and support for village health workers (expected to be completed in September 2025).
Regarding the proposal to send doctors after graduation to the commune to perform medical examination and treatment duties for at least 2 years, the Ministry of Health acknowledges and will coordinate research and proposal appropriate policies.
Regarding seniority allowances, according to Resolution No. 27-NQ/TW dated May 21, 2018 of the Central Executive Committee, this regime has been abolished for the health sector to ensure salary correlation. The Ministry of Health hopes to receive voters' understanding and consensus on current policies.
